Deputy Director General (DDG) for Home Affairs at the European Commission Oliver Onidi is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina this week, leading a delegation of representatives of EU member states and EU Agencies - European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum.

According to a press release issued by the EU Delegation in BiH, the focus of the visit is to follow-up on the implementation by Bosnia and Herzegovina of the EU Action Plan for the Western Balkans, and to discuss Bosnia and Herzegovina’s commitments, delivery and possible needs for additional support on the five pillars of the Action Plan.

DDG Onidi will hold meetings n February 12 and 13 with BiH Minister of Foreign Affairs Elmedin Konakovic, Minister of Security Nenad Nesic, as well as top officials from BiH ministries and agencies in charge of border, migration management, asylum, reception, visa policy, fighting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings.

During the visit, the negotiations for the Frontex Status Agreement with Bosnia and Herzegovina will also be officially launched. A Frontex Status Agreement will allow Frontex to the deploy the European Border and Coast Guard Standing Corps on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon the request of the relevant Bosnian authorities, to support border management activities. Strengthened cooperation in border management will be beneficial for Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the EU.

Bosnia Presidency greenlights talks with Frontex, EU welcomes the decision

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in the Western Balkans that lacks a Frontex Status Agreement, and launching negotiations for this has been set as one of the priorities that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to fulfil before the March European Council when the topic of whether to open EU accession negotiations with BiH will be discussed.

Since 2018, when a larger number of migrants began crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Union has allocated over €140 million in support for border management and meeting the humanitarian needs of migrants.